The competition was heating up on Wednesday's episode of MasterChef Australia. One cook was ousted from the kitchen after a brutal pressure test from guest judge, legendary chef Maggie Beer.
Pressure Test Challenge
The bottom five contestants were tasked with creating a pie from scratch. It was Jeff who was eliminated after his dish failed to impress the panel of judges. Jeff served up a Hong Kong-style chicken pie along with garlic chilli oil and Chinese broccoli. But his undercooked crust was his undoing, with the judges deducting points for the raw base and an excessive amount of spring onion.
Jeff became the second contestant to depart the competition but stated that he still plans to achieve his dream of opening a bakery.
Earlier Elimination and Pancake Incident
In a surprising turn of events earlier in the season, a contestant who served nothing but a single pancake made it to the next round. Things went from bad to worse for cook Jackie when, in her rush, she failed to plate her duck breast. As the clock ticked down to the final seconds, she placed her shallot pancake on the plate but forgot the meat. That left the hapless chef serving only the lone pancake to the panel of judges.
While what she did serve received good reviews and favourable comments, Jackie still ended up in the bottom two. However, it was Meg who was eliminated, despite serving an abundance of food for the judges. Meg made three separate dishes, presenting an absolute spread. But her unimpressive prawns were her undoing, with judges telling Meg that she should have concentrated on one dish done well instead of three less impressive selections. Meg was sent home, and Jackie survived another week to try again.
Raw Chicken Incident
It is not the only mishap that has occurred early in the 2026 season. One unfortunate contestant faced the horrified judges when he served them raw chicken. In last Tuesday's episode, Jake proudly approached the panel with his fried chicken dish with fennel and tamarind, chilli and lime. But as soon as judge Andy Allen cut into the hunk of thigh, which looked well done on the outside, the meat inside was bright pink. Allen then explained that the judges would not even be able to sample the meal.
